It’s been said that we only use a small fraction of the human brain’s capacity. I believe that’s true – thus, we limit our abilities. If we were able to utilize our entire brain, we could possibly achieve what is believed to be superhuman.

In much the same way, I believe that many of us only know a fraction of who God is because we have limited ourselves through the lens of the perspective of the church culture in which we were ‘introduced’ to God.

It may be the church culture in which we were raised…

It may be the church culture we chose as an adult…

If you are a member of the Body of Christ, take a moment and think about your church culture.

Think about how you approach worship.

Think about how you approach ministry outside of the church.

Think about the music ministry.

Think about the prayers… what topics are addressed during the public prayers.

Think about the sermons… What topics are addressed? Through which perspective are they addressed? What topics are avoided?

Our worship can sometimes be influenced by our past…our socio-economic status…how we experience family…how we experience America, or what ever country in which you live.

Many times our prayers and expectations can be centered around…

Our health…

Our economic status…

Our social views…

Our political views…

Sometimes we can reduce God to a genie in a bottle.

Sometimes we can expect God to worship our hopes, dreams, desires, expectations, pains, worries, our viewpoints when our worship is centered around these things.

Get the picuture?

Some people equate worship music to exuberant shouting, while others equate it being reserved and quiet…why can’t it be both sometimes?

The bulk of some church culture’s worship is centered around crying, lamenting and asking God for help, while others mainly consists of thanking God and acknowledging the beauty of His creation.

Historical example…

Christians during the Civil Rights Movement were introduced to God through how their ancestors experienced America…this varied based on race, geography, etc.

This directly affected how they worshipped, prayed.

It affected what songs they chose for worship.

It affected how they approached social issues.

It affected how they approached politics.

And, this is how they introduced and introduce God to the present generation.

How will this generation introduce God to future generations?

God is a healer.

God is a deliverer.

God is a keeper.

God is a God of love and kindness.

God is a God of anger and wrath.

God IS!

Psalm 71:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ Now also when I am old and grayheaded,
O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to everyone who is to come.

Have you ‘experienced’ God from the perspective and context of…

Oppression?

Abuse?

Success?

Addiction?

Struggle?

How you perceive freedom?

This is why we have ‘images’ of Yeshua as White, Black, Mediterranean, Asian etc.

Don’t limit your relationship to God and definitely don’t limit Him when you share your faith.

CLIQUE-‘ISH’ IN THE CHURCH (YEP, ‘ISH’ IS A EUPHEMISM)…

WHEN WE MAKE CHURCH ABOUT US INSTEAD OF GOD…

WHEN WE GO TO CHURCH EXPECTING GOD TO WORSHIP US…

CIVIL RIGHTS & SOCIAL JUSTICE SHOULD BE ‘A’ PRIORITY BUT NOT ‘THE’ PRIORITY OF THE CHURCH…

QUICK FYI: 4 REASONS NEW MEMBERS QUIT COMING TO CHURCH…

7 ‘CHURCHY’ CLICHES THAT WE SHOULD BE CAREFUL OF HOW WE SAY…

BE BLESSTIFIED!

There are many in the Body of Christ who love quoting John 10:10…

John 10:10  (NKJV)

¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

But, we must remember that this verse applies to those of us who are being led by the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-17). Those who are ‘walking in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16-26). Those who not only believe, but are responding to being the ‘called according to His purpose’ (Romans 8:28). To those who are laboring for His Harvest (Matthew 9:37-38). And especially those who  are connected to the vine and bearing good fruit (John 15:1-8).

It is God’s will that we add to His Kingdom…that we make disciples (Matthew 28:19), and that every interaction brings glory and honor to His name, that’s bearing good fruit.

So by default, if we aren’t bearing good fruit we are either bearing no fruit or bearing bad fruit. God’s word addresses how He feels about those of us who are being nurtured by His love, grace, mercy, provision and protection and bear no fruit (. Many of us only use the resources that God gives us, not just money, but our anointing, gifts and talents on ourselves. It’s like a fruit tree with all leaves but no fruit (Luke 13:6-9),(John 15:1-8), and dig this one…

Isaiah 5:1-7  (NKJV)

 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved
A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard:

My Well-beloved has a vineyard
On a very fruitful hill.
² He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also made a winepress in it;
So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
But it brought forth wild grapes.

³ “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
⁴ What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in it?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
⁵ And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned;
And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
⁶ I will lay it waste;
It shall not be pruned or dug,
But there shall come up briers and thorns.
I will also command the clouds
That they rain no rain on it.”

⁷ For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
He looked for justice, but behold, oppression;
For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.

 So, I think the word of God establishes it well that it is very possible to believe but to be of no use to Him in the Kingdom. Even to the point to tell us that if we have faith, but are always sitting on it, that our faith is dead (James 2:14-26).

By deductive reasoning, we can also conclude that if we are not benefiting God’s Kingdom that we are…

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NO THREAT TO THE DEVIL

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That being established, and so-called believer who is no threat to the devil IS a threat to the Kingdom. They justify being an inactive, apathetic believer.

There are those also who claim to believe but have allowed the devil to manipulate them into pursuing his agenda, for example the scribes and Pharisees claimed to be God’s representatives but were actually working for the enemy, they sought to kill Jesus unknowingly fulfilling scripture (Matthew 12:14, John 5:18, John 7:1, John 11:53, John 16:2).

The Ku Klux Klan claimed and claims to be a Christian organization, but they are actually pursued and are pursuing the enemy’s agenda.

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SO IF YOU ARE OF NO USE TO GOD’S KINGDOM OR EVEN HELPING THE ENEMY WHY SHOULD HE TRY TO STEAL FROM YOU, KILL YOU OR DESTROY YOU? WHY SHOULD THE ENEMY TRY TO HARM YOU IF YOU ARE BENEFITING HIM?

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Do you have a genuine concern for those who are lost? Are you acting on it? Are you letting your light shine? Can people really tell you’re a Christian by how you live daily?

Remember the words of the 12-year old Jesus, “…I must be about my Father’s business.”(Luke 2:49).

Are you about your Father’s business? If not why should the devil fight against you?  In fact, if we aren’t about our Father’s business, then again by default who’s business are we about?

John 8:44-45  (NKJV)

⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources,for he is a liar and the father of it. ⁴⁵ But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.

If your life seems to be too easy…it may be for a reason.

BE BLESSTIFIED!

Should you leave your faith at home when you go to work? Remember, that Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ, engaged Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew while they were busy working on their jobs.

He could have waited until they finished for the day, but he ministered to them while they were still working.

Matthew 4:18-22 (NKJV)

¹⁸ And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

²¹ Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Matthew 9:9-13 (NKJV)

⁹ As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

Sometimes God places disciples in the workplace to be light.

Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV)

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

BE BLESSTIFIED!